Chapter 20
The international arrivals hall churned with people.
Avery pushed her suitcase through the crowd. She wore a cream trench coat, her shoulders squared, and her expression unreadable.
Three years had stripped away her softness and left her sharper and calmer, more stunning than ever and even farther out of reach.
She had barely set foot back home when two groups closed in from opposite sides like sharks scenting blood, boxing her in at the exit corridor.
Julian led the team on the left. His tailored suit fit like it was made for him. He was still strikingly handsome, but a tense urgency tugged at the space between his brows.
He carried an armful of white calla lilies, the flowers of devotion and regret. He looked at her, his eyes heavy with regret, longing, and a possessiveness that refused to let go.
“Avery, welcome home.” He tried to keep his tone calm, but his low voice came out hoarse and
tight.
Jace led the right flank. He wore a bright coat, his hair carefully styled, but the dark circles under his eyes and the madness in his expression couldn’t be hidden.
In his hands was an open velvet box, with a dazzling diamond necklace gleaming inside. He shoved past Julian’s people and lunged to the front, his eyes burning with feverish heat.
“Ave! You finally came back! I knew you still felt something for me! This necklace is for you! Do you like it?”
The commotion, along with the two men’s striking looks, instantly drew the whole terminal’s attention. People began whispering, and phones came up one after another to capture the
scene.
Avery stopped, her gaze sliding from the lilies in Julian’s hands to the necklace in Jace’s. Her face stayed blank, as if she were looking at nothing more than meaningless objects. A faint glimmer of mockery flashed in her eyes.
While they both edged closer, Avery pulled out her phone and spoke in a clear, steady voice.” Hello, International Arrivals Gate A. I’m being harassed by a crowd. Please send security.”
Julian and Jace’s expressions shifted.
“Ave!”
“Avery!”
Charter 201
She didn’t look at either of them. She angled herself toward the crowd, keeping her tone polite yet distant. “Excuse me. Thank you.”
Airport security arrived fast and moved to block Julian and Jace,
Guided by two guards, Avery wheeled her suitcase through the crowd’s whispers and stares, straight to the cab stand, and left.
Julian’s jaw clenched, while Jace’s face twisted in fury. The lilies and the diamonds looked like props from a bad joke.
Back in the city, Avery threw herself into her new role at Sterling Holdings. She adapted quickly and made decisive calls. Within weeks, she had earned the trust of both her boss and her team.
However, the Mercer brothers didn’t stop pestering her.
Julian couldn’t accept that Avery had slipped out of his control.
He leveraged Mercer Group’s influence to pressure Sterling Holdings’ executives, suggesting that if Avery returned to him, Mercer Group would extend major business benefits and even consider acquiring part of Sterling Holdings’ shares.
Under pressure, the executives called Avery in for a private meeting, hinting that if she didn’t. manage her personal life properly, her career could be affected.
Avery listened calmly before asking, “Will the company give in to capital, or will it uphold its employees’ rights and the principle of independent operation?”
She went back to her desk and began organizing her files. Then, she told her manager, presence is seen as a problem to the company, I’ll resign today. I’m confident I can find another position based on my own abilities.”
Her firm stance left the executives hesitating. In the end, Julian’s pressure didn’t work.
“If my
For the first time, he learned that money and power had no traction with the woman he’d once taken for granted. The loss of control burrowed under his skin and drove him even more on edge.
TRAND OF
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